This research is critical to the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Plan, and addresses several of the information needs and research gaps identified under sectoral sub-themes of i) Aquaculture, ii) Commercial and recreational fishing, iii) Conservation management, and iv) Tourism and recreational uses.

Specifically this study:
i) addresses the severity of likely impacts of climate change on coral trout, which are the No. 1
commercial and recreational fisheries species caught within coral reef waters, and account for 41% of
wild-caught fish in Queensland waters;

ii) will predict spatial and temporal changes in the fisheries production of coral trout populations across the Great Barrier Reef, which is critical for spatial zoning of fisheries closures and assessing the immediacy of required intervention;

iii) identifies environmental tolerances of coral trout, especially during highly sensitive larval stages,
which impacts natural recruitment of wild populations, and grow-out of juveniles in open aquaculture
systems, which is necessary for further development of coral trout production;

iv) explores ontogenetic changes in the habitat requirements of newly-settled, juvenile and sub-adult
coral trout, thought to rely on habitat structure provided by good coral growth. If so, this will help to
establish coral reef habitats of high conservation priority, and

v) significantly advances understanding of climate impacts on coral reef fishes, which are critical for both fisheries and tourism industries on the Great Barrier Reef, currently worth in excess of $6 billion to the Australian economy.